Mint Anyone?

First impressions mean a lot. So, break open a pack of mints, and read on!

Research, led by Dr. Gitte Lindgaard at Carleton University in Ontario, has shown that designers have “…as little as 50 milliseconds to capture the interest of potential customers.”

Say what?!?! It sounds impossible

Volunteers went through a process of websites flashed in front of their eyes briefly, to determine how long it took for people to form an opinion about it.

Okay, no pressure, no pressure… we can get through this. There were several significant visual characteristics related to visual appeal. So, based on the tests, here are some questions to ask yourself.

1. Is the content interesting?

2. Does it have a user friendly layout?

3. Is it aesthetically pleasing?

4. Does the colour palette work well?

5. And finally… is it imaginative?

So what is your design saying to your viewers?

“Unless the first impression is favourable, visitors will be out of your site before they even know that you might be offering more than your competitors,” Dr. Lindgaard warned.